September 4 marked 700 days since the outbreak of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which began on 7 October 2023.

This war is not merely a military conflict but a systematic attempt to crush the Palestinian will for independence and freedom. Over this period, the Palestinian people have made immense sacrifices, exceeding the bounds of human imagination, in pursuit of their historical rights. However, these sacrifices have not been in vain; they have led to an unprecedented global momentum for recognising an independent Palestinian state.

In this article, we will review the history of the Palestinian cause, the catastrophic situation in Gaza, international shifts, Israel’s attempts to thwart the establishment of the state, and the reasons for its inevitable failure, with a focus on the fact that the establishment of a Palestinian state has become an inescapable reality.

The history of the Palestinian cause: legitimate demands and persistent neglect

The roots of the Palestinian cause extend back more than a century, when Zionist colonial activities began in Palestine under the auspices of the British Mandate. In 1948, the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel led to what is known as the “Nakba,” during which more than 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their lands, and hundreds of villages were destroyed. Since then, Palestinians have demanded the establishment of an independent state with sovereignty over their historical lands, based on United Nations resolutions such as Resolution 181, which calls for the partition of Palestine, and Resolution 194, which guarantees the right of return for refugees.

Yet these legitimate demands have been consistently ignored. Instead of a fundamental solution, the international community has restricted itself to providing limited aid, often confined to humanitarian and material support through organisations like the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. While important, this aid has not addressed the core of the Palestinian issue: the Israeli occupation that has persisted for more than 77 years. The Oslo Accords of 1993, intended to create a transitional Palestinian authority, have instead become a tool for reinforcing Israeli control, failing to lead to an independent........

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